1) dont need either on linux
2) just like you did on windows. If you are on a site and you right
click and choose save as. As to WHERE is decided by you - though default
on Firefox is your desktop
3) I use pidgin for my google, aim, and yahoo accts.

8.04 is fine - 8.10 is the one not to get.

Why not 8.10, I have it duel booted with Vista on a laptop and it work
just fine.

Its not as stable as 8.04. Installed over a range of systems, its been
less stable. Over time it obviously wont be as its updated.

I like the 8.10 flavor. If I had to use 8.04 I would still be using Windoze. The
stable version of studio ubuntu is 8.04, I use it but only when I don't need to
connect to the net, The 8.04 OS still fails to connect on my puter using that
flavor.

I think it is wrong to say don't use a version, The best part about Ubuntu is
the number of versions you can install to see what one works best on your
machine.

I updated from 8.4 to 8.10 and can find absolutl;y no difference in the
stability.

That's logical; most people on most systems would
probably see no difference. Instability less likely
means "possible problems for everyone" than it does
"possible problems for more users than would be
the case in a stable system."

Please tell me, is there an antivirus for Ubuntu and its derivatives that
swallows up Windows viruses, so I can resend files and folders that are
certainly clean.

You do not need an anti virus unless you have an admin some where
telling you you MUST as is the case at my local University.

spam assassin is part of the default install or you can use the
filtering in the various email programs. I have installed Claws mail
and rarely see spam these days

>
> 2)How do you download things to my pc? (It goes to this download
> file, and It doesn't load the program?

very few things are auto run in linux. its a plus.

>
> 3)Is there another IM that I can use besides Pidgin or Meebo?? it is
> on my laptop..but..use mostly yahoo or msn?
>

I used to like kopete but now pidgin is back on top.

Let me guess. You are a Windows user and have little or no experience with
Linux.

1) You can run anti-virus software if you choose, but many Linux users choose
not to. First off, there are few Linux viruses written and even fewer in the
wild. They cannot affect you unless you do something stupid such as log on as
root which Ubuntu does not allow. Secondly, Linux AV programmes do not work in
the same way as Windows ones. There is no automatic scanning. It is manual. You
can set it up to do so, but it is a bigger headache to configure than the
viruses themselves. In short, you can forget about viruses and anti-virus
software. The same is true for trojans.

There are spam filters such as bogofilter and spamassassin in the repositories.
Some email programmes are easier to configure than others with these two. Kmail
and Evolution work well. Thunderbird is a bit trickier to set up. There are
several other ways of combatting spam such as popfile.

2) What file? what programme? Linux does not run Windows files. You can get some
compatibility with Wine, a Windows compatibility layer, but it needs to be
installed to run exes. Ubuntu uses deb files and they can only be found in a few
safe locations. The best source is in the repositories. There are a few safe
sources such as getdeb.net and appnr.com. The practice of downloading files and
expecting to install them is not a Linux practice because Linux is about
security which means only safe sources and it handles executables and libraries
differently. That means that you can really mess yourself up by installing
things from outside the repositories, unless you know what you are doing. There
are 35000 programmes in the repositories so there is not much need to look
elsewhere. All are free!

If you download a Linux binary it will not execute until you change the
permissions. If you download a deb, it will open up the package manager and ask
you to install it. If you download an exe file, it will run it if you have Wine
installed. However, it may not work. Wine does not promise full campatibility.
If you run a media file it should launch the programme associated with that file
or save it.

3) I use Kopete which comes with KDE, but it works in Gnome. There is also
Empathy and several specific ones such as aMSN. Kopete is arguably the best.
Gnome is drifting away from Pidgin towards Empathy. Search in Synaptic for Yahoo
and MSN and you can see what else is in the repositories.

When you come to a new OS it is best not to expect it to behave like the old
one. Linux is closer to the OS on a Mac than Windows. It is able to do the same
things but not using the same programmes or in the same way. There are benefits
to Linux such as no re-booting, no defragmenting drives, speed, stability, eye
candy, choice and no viruses hassles. There is a trade off for this. Youa re in
a different operating system. It does not work like Windows. If you expect it to
then you will be disappointed. It is out wit th eold and in with the new if you
want to be successful.

Many users here use both Linux and Windows, but they are able to think in both
languages, Windows-speak and Linux-speak. As long as you keep them separate then
you will be fine.

I have found that kopete is abandoned. Yahoo IM does not work any
more. the IRC plug-in has been absent for far too long. queries about
problems are not getting replies

pidgin lacks the video chat but all the protocols I require work.

can you support the statement that gnome is moving to empathy?

I abandoned both in favour of Meebo as it's web based - still fast
though. [Not slow like the other web based ones].

I have found that kopete is abandoned. Yahoo IM does not work
any
more. the IRC plug-in has been absent for far too long. queries about
problems are not getting replies

pidgin lacks the video chat but all the protocols I require work.

can you support the statement that gnome is moving to empathy?

Reply: Kopete is less of a one stop solution now. There are several KDE IRC
clients. You have singled out one area where KDE seems to be splitting off.
Quassel and Konversation seem to be the clients of choice for KDE with the
former being the newer and the one that will survive when KDE 3.5 is put to
rest. I have heard of past problems with Yahoo, but no current ones. My Yahoo
account connects fine. Don't use username@..., but username only.

This is a very active area of development due to all of the convergence of
technologies. Telephony and texting to mobile phones is all of the rage now. No
telling where things are headed. Everyone is jockeying for position and this
brings inevitable problems with one stop platforms staying current as standards
for the various parts are changed.

Empathy ties together several clients. It includes IM and VOIP built in. It is a
GNOME project whereas PIDGIN is not. It was included in Gnome, but it is not
their baby. So it isn't whether Pidgin will be replaced by Empathy. It has
already done so because Pidgin was not Gnome's to begin with. Whether distros
choose to use Empathy from Gnome or Pidgin is the question. So far Ubuntu has
kept Pidgin, but I don't see that continuing as Canonical works closely with
both Gnome and KDE and tries to keep things tidy. Pidgin runs on Windows, so we
know that is bound to work against it in the open source community.
Multi-platform IM clients are few and far between and Pidgin or Gaim's success
has been having the most features and being the most versatile. Whether it can
sustain this in Linux is open to debate.

Wikipedia:

Empathy is a re-usable collection of Graphical User Interface widgets for
developing instant messaging clients for the GNOME desktop. It is written as
extension to the Telepathy framework, for connecting to different instant
messaging networks with a unified user interface.
Empathy has been included in the GNOME desktop since version 2.24.It includes a
sample client with a similar overall look and feel to the earlier Gossip client
for Jabber/XMPP servers

On what basis do you make this statement. It is certainly part of the kde
project and this add-on
kde-apps.org/.../kopete-thinklight?content=47886

was released 3 days ago, hardly abandoned.

over 8 months no replies to questions about YIM failing and the irc
plug-in.

broken, no response, not usable for my needs at this point. it was my
preferred client but got to be beating a dead horse imo.

That usually means that it is not a problem for anyone but you. Sorry. If it was
a problem then there would be an active discussion. Linux users love to
complain. No complaints usually = satisfaction.

We digress, but...

People who crave stability should stick with LTS as Wade suggests. That does not
mean that 8.10 is less stable. It depends on your own configuration. What 8.04
gives is less change which over time keeps your system working with less
breakage. I tend to side with Ian that 8.10 is stable enough for most users with
good equipment. But if you have a low tolerance for problems and your system
does what you want then why ask for trouble when you don't have to? Ubuntu 8.04
will be supported after 8.10 is dead and gone.

The advantage of 8.10 over 8.04 is not stability but flexibility. New features
are added, new drivers are added to the later kernel, and some programmes or
desktops have been improved. However, some people do not like change. For
example, some users still prefer KDE 3.5 and you cannot convince them to try KDE
4.2. Some people refuse to use Firefox 3. Others just wait for the kink to be
ironed out before they upgrade.

What Ubuntu does offer in abundance is choice. You run what you like for as long
as you like or you can catch a wave and live on the edge. What is right for Ian
may not be right for me. What is right me is not right for then next person. We
have unique personalities and needs. which is why I do not like to see
generalisations. Ubuntu 8.04 and 8.10 are different entities which are directed
towards a different user base. I am already using 9.04. Life is good in the fast
lane for those who like it and don't mind a few bumps. You are going to love the
speed and particularly ext4. Upgrade when you want or not. That is your choice.
Eventually everyone will be using what is in 9.04, but by then the target will
have moved. Would you want it any other way?

Flexibility is true. On laptops hibernate seems to be working.

The main AV for Linux is Clam or Klam (KDE) although I have found it to be poor.
AVG makes an antivirus programme for Linux. There is also Avast, Aegis, Panda
and F-Prot and a few commercial ones such as Avira, Kaspersky and Vexira Central
Command.
See: www.linuxsoft.cz/en/sw_list.php?id_kategory=49

The problem is that with any I have used you have to manually scan everything.
You can run it on whole computers or folders, but it does not scan incoming
files. You need to install Dazuko to do it in real time and it is a real
nuisance to set up and IMO not worth the effort.

There are several distros specifically made to clean Windows viruses. Most use
F-Prot. The are Live CDs. I like Helix which is based on Ubuntu. See:
http://lwn.net/Distributions/#secure

To protect a network, try Untangle.